When Everything Changes
by Thalia22
Summary: Previously known as "Knew it All Along." This title fits better, me thinks. Faye Disapears for days. Will anyone ever see her again? F/S. Sorry for the long time between updates! *COMPLETED*
1. Chapter 1

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Authors Note: This is my first Bebop Fan fic! ohh, I'mk so proud of myself. Oh, for the record....I own nothing. So you can take your lawsuits and shove em! I'm broke anyway :-P No point in suing me. Anyway, please review my story! I'll love you forever if you do. Thanks a bunch! Adios space Cowboys...

Spike sat on the yellow couch; his long legs stretched out in front of him, his arms were draped over the edge of the yellow couch behind him. He was staring up at the high ceiling of the Bebop. He watched the old fan rotating around and around. It's circular movements temporarily hypnotizing him. 

"Spike?" 

Spike lowered his head. It was Jet. He entered the living area from the kitchen and sat down on the couch next to Spike.

"She back yet?" He asked. Spike looked back up at the fan. 

"Not that I know of."

Jet sighed.

"I'm getting worried, Spike." And it showed on Jet's face. Deep lines seemed to have permently buried themselves into Jet's forehead. "She's been gone three days."

Spike sighed, folding his arms behind his head. 

"I don't know what you're getting worked up for. It's not the first time she's disappeared." 

Jet grunted. 

"I know. I just have a bad feeling. Something is not right."

Faye had taken off in her ship three days ago on the tail of a bounty head. Michieli Oxford. Wanted for 3 counts of computer fraud and sexual assault. 5'11. 140 pounds. Male. 38. Black hair. Balding. A bounty of a measly 4,000 woolongs. Last seen in Jasburgh, Mars. Jet and Spike refused to waste their time on such a small fish but Faye insisted. She had said "It's better then sitting around here watching you scratch yourself all day." Then stalked out. 

"Let's enjoy our peace for now, and not worry about the upcoming storm, shall we?" Spike said, closing his eyes preparing the take a little nap. He heard a Jet sigh again and felt him lift himself off of the couch. Silence surrounded Spike. He felt himself drifting off. His eyes flew open suddenly. Now he knew what Jet meant. And odd pang of worry hit him like a brick wall. Faye was in trouble. She had said she was coming back. And a guy with only 4,000 Woolongs on his head couldn't be too hard to catch. Maybe she caught wind of a bigger bounty head and took the money and ran. Or maybe Mr. Oxford was a lot tougher then he looked and Faye was lying in a ditch somewhere. Spike didn't know. He was wondering why the hell he even cared. Faye was always running headfirst into dangerous situations. She was bound to get her head shot off sooner or later. She almost deserved it. But Spike still couldn't help feeling worried. 

"Fuck, why the hell do I care so much?" He said to the ceiling fan. It started to slow down then stopped completely. 

"Thanks, that was helpful." 

Spike sighed deeply. A mixture a boredom, and sleepiness. But he was never going to get to sleep with these stupid thoughts running through his head. He stretched his arms behind him and sat up. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes off the coffee and pulled out the last one and lit it. He sat back, a breathed on it deeply, his brown eyes staring off into space. He jumped as a loud squeal erupted from behind him. Ed did a flip in the air and landed in Spikes lap on her back. She looked up at him with her cat like eyes. 

"What is Spike-Person doing?" 

"Jesus Christ, Ed!" Spike yelled, grabbing his heart hoping it would slow to a normal pace. This girl almost gave him a heart attack and he was only in his 20's. "I WAS relaxing."

Ed's turned over. She stared up at Spike, her eyes widened.

"But Spike-Spike should be out looking for Faye-Faye!"

Spike raised an eyebrow. Was Faye having this effect on everyone? 

"She's just out getting a bounty. She'll be back in no time." Spike said, trying to reassure Ed. He took another long drag. But he wasn't even buying this himself. Ed shook her head vigorously, red hair flying all over the place. 

"Faye-Faye gone! Ed can't find her anywhere! Ed looked and looked, but Faye-Faye's signal is gone! There one minute, poof the next!" She spread her arms wide to emphasize her point. 

Spike leaned forward upon hearing this. Ed could find anyone, anywhere. If she couldn't find Faye that only meant one thing....she was in serious trouble. 

"Ed." He asked, his voice low and serious. "Where did you last see Faye?"

Ed put her finger to her temple, thinking hard. 

"Hhmm, Ed saw Faye-Faye on a small city on Mars named Jasburgh. Then Faye-Faye go poof!"

"When?"

"Yesterday. Ed been looking for Faye-Faye ever since!" 

Spike jumped up, Ed tumbled from his lap with a squeak. He grabbed his blue jacket and headed for the hanger. 

"Jet, I'm going to look for Faye." He yelled. Jet's head popped out of the kitchen.

"Hey, wait a minute! What's with the sudden change of heart?"

Spike ignored the question. He had to go get Faye. The only time Ed wasn't able to find someone was if they were dead or two seconds away from death. Spike knew he wouldn't be able to live a peaceful life if he left Faye out there to die alone. He quickly rushed to the hanger door, Jet following him asking him what was going on. But Spike wasn't listening. All he was thinking about was Faye. He had to help her. He opened the Hanger door. He headed out but stopped dead in his tracks. There she was. Faye was standing there staring blankly at Spike. Her purple hair was messy, and it looked as if chunks had been torn out of it. Her yellow suit was dirty, ripped and torn looked at if it was going to fall off. Her shoes and her headband were gone. But what really disturbed Spike was her face. Her left eye was so swollen that it was closed up. There was dried blood on her mouth and chin, which looked as if it had come from her broken nose and she had knife cuts all over her check, neck, and forehead. Her good eye was glazed over. Spike stared at her, his eyes wide with horror. What the hell happened to her? Faye blinked as she caught sight of spike for the first time. She wobbled a bit. 

"Hey there, Fro boy." She said, smiling weakly. Her eye rolled back into her head and she fell forward, Spike caught her before she hit the ground. 

"Faye Faye! What Happened?" She heard someone yell. She couldn't tell whom. The voice got further and further away until it was just a dull murmur. Everything went black and Silent. 


	2. Chapter 2

Authors note: Wwhhee, reviews! Thank ya'll for your reviews! Even though I don't know what half of them say cuz Fanfiction.net won't show them to me for some odd reason. But I'm sure they are all nice. *glares* But keep the reviews coming cuz I'll read them one of these days. Oh yeah, I own nothing yadda yadda. Adios Space cowboys...  
  
  
Faye was rarely alone since the day she appeared on their door stepped, bruised and beaten five days earlier. Someone was always by her side. Jet had bandaged her well. Her cuts were healing, her left eye was almost its normal size again, her nose had been set. But she hadn't opened her eyes at all since she passed out into Spikes arms. She laid on the yellow couch, unconscious. Every once in a while she would stir, or mumble something in her sleep. Sometimes she would scream and thrash around, needing to be restrained by Spike and Jet to keep from hurting herself.   
Ed had sat in the chair opposite from Faye. She rarely moved. she sat, both eyes locked on Faye. Ein laying right beside her always. Ed never left that spot. She barely even blinked.. Spike had never seen Ed so dormant. He wouldn't have believed that this was the same girl if it wasn't for the same red hair and rosy cheeks.   
Spike stood in the doorway, with the ever so present cigarette between his lips. He leaned up against the doorway, watching Faye. She was sleeping peacefully at the moment. Spike knew that Jet was eager to get his hands on the person who did this. It was so strange. Everyone, even Faye, considered her just a nuisance. Just someone who took up space and ate all the food. But it was funny how everyone reacted to her being this way. Ed and Ein watched over her, Jet furiously mutilated his Bonsai's, and Spike...well, Spike tried not to care. He didn't want to care, that's for sure. But he just couldn't help hiding in the shadows watching her. He couldn't help joining Ed as she eagerly leaned forward every time Faye's eyes lids stirred then slumping back disappointed when she just rolled her head to the side.  
"Come on, Faye." Spike whispered into the darkness. "Your stronger then this."   
Spike had to wonder what happened to put Faye in a fit like this. Jet had examined her himself. "Her physical injuries were not enough to put her into a coma like this." Jet had said. "It was more then the physical beatings. Something traumatizing."  
Spike knew what Jet was hinting at. A full body examination revealed the worst. Faye had been raped. Not once. But several times. And who knows what else those sick fucks did to her. But Spike wouldn't know until Faye woke up. Then she would lead us to who did this. Then that man would have hell to pay.   
Spike felt something heavy fall onto his shoulder. He looked and saw Jet's metal hand. He turned to Jet, who was forcing a smile and carrying two small bowls. He handed one to Spike.  
"Something to hold you over." It sounded weird to have Jets scruffy voice try to sound so comforting.   
"I don't know If I can eat right now." Spike said quietly. He looked at the bowl of noodles and his stomach churned with hunger. But the lump in his throat would make it impossible to swallow.   
"You two have barely eaten anything." Jet said, motioning to Ed. "It won't do Faye any good to starve yourself."  
Jet walked into the living area and sat the bowl of noodles down in front of Ed. Ed looked at the noodles, then looked at Jet who gave her a reassuring smile. Ed made no move to take the noodles or return Jet's smile. She just turned her head and continued to watch Faye. Jet sighed, and walked back to over to Spike.  
"Kids taking it hard." He said. "She was the only one who showed that she liked Faye. She's really worried. I guess we all are though." Jet looked at his feet. No one had said outloud how they felt. Jet gave Spike a small smile, then patted him on the shoulder and walked off.   
Ed was taking it the worst. It was not healthy for a child to be so worked up. As much as Spike talked about how much he hated kids, he was rather fond of Ed. Her positive attitude and lively spirit was exactly what a guy like him needed. Spike left his doorway perch, and walked over to Ed. He playful ruffled her red hair. She looked up at him blankly, then turned back to Faye. He sighed.  
"She'll wake up, kid." He tried to sound reassuring but it came out more like he was bored with the whole situation.   
"When?" Ed asked. Spike was a little stocked at this. He hadn't heard Ed speak for a few days now. Her voice sounded strained and quiet. It sent chills up his spine. He didn't really know how to answer Ed's question since he didn't know the answer.  
"Soon." He said after a long pause. It seemed like a safe answer. Ed said nothing more.  
Spike needed to get away from all the tension that filled this room. He gave Faye one last look, and headed for his room. He shut the door behind him, and leaned against the door. He looked around the room trying to make out objects through the dark. He looked down at the mushy cold noodles in the little blue bowl. Before he knew it, there was a loud crash and the mush was sliding down an opposite wall. He stood there, breathing hard, fists lenched. He rarely got so worked up and tense. There were usually only two things that could have this effect on him. Vicious and Julia. But Faye? That was something new. He usually couldn't care less what the hell Faye was up too. And it wasn't the first time he's seen her roughed up. But to see her so broken tore him up inside. This sudden surge of emotion was having an awful effect on him. He walked over to his bed. He kicked off his boots, and stripped off his blue jacket and yellow shirt. He climbed onto his bed, and laid on his stomach and almost instantly feel asleep. 


	3. Chapter 3

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Authors Note: I FINALLY got to see my reviews! Thank ya'll for your kind, kind words. Makes me want to get a new chapter out even quicker. ^_^ If any of you review happy people like Sailor Moon (Or really, just fantasy stories in general) go review my other fanfic. No one ever reads it. *cries* And its really good too. *sniffles* Okay, anywho. On with the show. Adios, Space Cowboys....

Spike woke with a start. He felt as if someone had yelled loudly in his hear. He looked around the room expecting to see someone but the room was empty. 

"What time is it?" He muttered out loud. It must have been getting up time since there was light shinning under the door from the hallway. But he wasn't sure if he could get up. He felt extremely groggy. He felt as if he had been sleeping for weeks. Hell, maybe he has been. But I guess you could expect a lack of energy when you hadn't eaten more then one meal in the last few days. He smoothed some wild strands of green hair out of his face and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He sat there, still, with his elbows on his knees. He had never felt like so drained and tired without having one physical injury. He struggled to his feet and pulled on an old white shirt over his bare chest. His stomach growled fiercely. He needed to eat. Jet was right. Starving himself would do no good. Jet probably didn't even bother to make breakfast due to the lack of Ed's and Spike's appetites. 

'I guess I'll go ask Jet if he could whip up something real fast.' Spike thought to himself. He left the room, closing the door behind him, and headed to Jet's Bonsai tree room where Jet was almost always found in the morning. 

"Hey, Jet. Do you think you could...." Spike stopped mid sentence. Jet wasn't there. That was a little out of the ordinary. 

'Maybe he did make breakfast.' Spike thought hopefully, and headed towards the kitchen. He was wrong again. No Jet. No breakfast dishes. Spike sighed and opened the fridge. It was almost empty. He should have known it would be. Ever since Faye turned up they hadn't gone after a single bounty head. No bounty head meant no Woolongs. No Woolongs meant no food. Spike pulled out an apple, half rotted. He began to eat it, careful to eat around the brown and squishy part. 

'Probably should check on Faye.' He thought to himself. He really didn't want too. But he guessed he should. So when she woke up, she couldn't accuse him for not caring. He made his way, rather slowly, to the living room. His stomach started to get the better of him, and he started taking in large bites of brown mush. He entered the living room. He sputtered, choking. Bits of apples flew out of his mouth and dribbled down his white shirt.

"Gross, get a bib or something." 

Faye was sitting on the couch, knees to her chest. She was grinning towards him, obviously enjoying his shock. Jet was sitting at her feet. 

"Surprise." He said, smiling. Edwards soon came bouncing into the room. 

"Faye-Faye! Faye-Faye! Faye-Faye!" Faye rolled her eyes.

"Will someone shut that kid up?" 

Ed cart wheeled over to Faye, and wrapped her arms around her. Faye didn't know what to do. She blushed; staring at Ed wide eyed as she cartwheeled back out of them room. Catching Jet's eye, she quickly regained her composure. Jet laughed. 

"She woke up this morning." Jet told Spike, who was still standing in the doorway. He was unsure what to do. Should he run over and give her a hug like Ed did? That certainly wasn't his style. He wiped his sticky hands on his shirt, and walked over to Faye. He took her hand, vigoursly shaking it.

"Glad to see your better." He said as if he was a general talking to a low ranking solider. She raised an eyebrow.

"Gee, thanks." 

He dropped her hand. She looked at it in disgust and tried to wipe it off on her baggy yellow pajamas. This is not what he planned? What did he plan, anyway? What was he expecting to happen? He didn't even know the answer to this question. He just gave her a quick half smile and settled himself in the chair on the opposite side of the table. She eyed him curiously, then turned back to Jet as he handed her a cup filled with a foul smelling liquid. 

"I hope your not expecting me to drink this...." She said flatly. 

"It'll make you feel better." 

"I feel fine." She put the cup on the table, folding her arms. Jet picked up the cup and shoved in her face.

"Drink." He said sternly. Faye narrowed her eyes at him. She opened her mouth as if she was planning on refusing again but instead reluctantly took the cup. She raised to cup to Jet and then to Spike.

"Cheers." She smirked. She tipped the cup to her mouth, swallowing the whole thing in one large gulp. She screwed up her face.

"Yum." 

Jet chuckled a bit, taking the cup from her. Faye turned to Spike.

"So how you doin, fluff ball?" She asked, smiling mischievously. Spike grinned, running his hand through his wild hair. 

"Good." He said. "And you, Romany?" 

"I'd be better if I got this taste out of my mouth." She said, screwing her face up again. "Any food in here?"

"Sorry Princess." Spike said. "You better go catch one of those rats in the attic if you're hungry." Spike laughed at his own joke a bit. Faye just rolled her eye but was smiling. They sat in silence for a few seconds. Faye was looking over her arms, and her chest. The long slashes looked better but they were still not healed. She touched her nose softly, and winched at the pain. Jet watched her, staring at her with that hard look of his. Faye caught his gaze and titled her head a bit. 

"Was it Oxford?" He asked suddenly

Faye had no reaction to this. It was as if she knew what he was going to say before he said it, she lowered her eyes then shook her head. 

"No." She said quietly. "I never found Oxford...I...barely made it to Jasburgh...." She trailed off. She looked to the wall as if it had was doing something of great interest. But she wasn't fooling Spike. He knew she was crying. But being tough girl Faye, He knew she wouldn't dare let him see her tears. Jet saw them though. He patted her knee.

"You talk when you're ready." She looked at Jet, nodded then rested her chin on her knees. Jet stood, and motioned for Spike to follow. They walked into the kitchen. Jet leaned against the counter while Spike stood with his arms crossed.

"She's probably not going to say anything for a while." Jet said. "Your gonna have to be ready when she wants to talk. So we can get this guy."

Spike's eye widened. 

"What?" Spike shook his head. "I'm going to be the last person she wants to talk to. She'll come to you before anyone else."

"But I'm not going to be here."

Jet had Spike thoroughly confused. What kind of drugs is he on to think that Faye would open up to him? Faye despised him. And where the hell did he think he was going?

"We haven't gotten any money since Faye came back." Jet eyed the fridgerator. "We are out of food, almost out of gas. We need a bounty."

It was true. Spike just ate the last morsel of food. 

"There's a bounty out on this one guy. Sam Singer or something like that." Jet continued waving his hand in the air. "It's only A million woolongs but its better then nothing. I have to go to Venus so I'll probably be gone a few days. And Faye is in no shape to come or stay here by herself. So you and Ed will have to stay with her." 

"Aw, could you please take Ed?"

"No!" Jet yelled. He had a hint of frustration in his voice. "I wish you could be a little bit more helpful. You acting like a damn child."

"I'm not acting like a child." Spike retaliated. "I just don't feel like taking care of two of them."

"And you don't think I get tired of taking care of three?" Jet spat out. But it didn't have the effect he was looking for. Spike just gave him that same smirk, like nothing in the world could touch him. It was obvious Jet wanted to smack it off his face. Spike turned to walk off.

"Well, Papa." He said over his shoulder. "Make sure you get that bounty because I'm in the mood for Bell peppers with actual beef."

"I know you care, Spike." Jet said suddenly. Spike stopped in his tracks. He turned to Jet slightly. Jet continued. 

"You've been trying to distance your self from this whole situation so people wouldn't think that you cared but it only made it more obvious. "

Spike felt the blood rushing to his face. He looked forward so Jet wouldn't see his red face. 

"I saw you hiding in the shadows. I saw your face that first day. I don't know why you're trying to deny it." 

Jet's voice was getting louder which meant he was getting closer. Soon he seemed if he was right behind him. 

"Don't deny it. Take it from me, you don't want to miss out on something that could be well worth your time." 

Again, Spike felt weight on his shoulder. He looked, expecting to see metal but instead he saw flesh. Flesh and bone. A human hand, giving him a comforting squeeze. The hand left his shoulder, and he heard heavy steps as Jet walked away. 

"Papa will be back soon." With that, Jet left the room. Spike stood there, not really sure what just happened. Jet has obviously been inhaling too much fertilizer or something. Spike chuckled at the mental picture of Jet getting high off fertilizer fumes.

"So that's why he likes those Bonsai's so much." 

Spike decided to go to his room. He was still feeling unbelievably tired. Jet's words were still ringing in his head. 

'What did he mean by he knows that I care?' Spike thought. Spike cared about Faye? Spike almost laughed out loud at the thought. Spike couldn't care less about Faye and the same was true the other way around. 

They were rarely even civil to each other. They could sit and bicker like brother and sister for hours. Yes, that was their relationship in a nutshell. Brother and sister but all rivalry and no love.

Spike had already made it back to the living area. Faye was still sitting in the same spot she had been for the last 6 days. Spike stopped, and watched her. She was lying on her back, watching the television. It sounded like Big Shot from where he was. She had one leg over the thin blue blanket, one under it. Her hair was rather unruly. 

'I can't believe she had to nerve to call ME fluff ball.' 

He stood there, watching her. Looking her over. Then Jet's voice came into his head, 

"I've seen you hiding in the shadows..."

And there Spike was, hiding in the shadows. Watching. Watching but not interacting. Why has he been treating Faye like she had some communicable disease? He didn't know. He didn't know anything these days. He was a stranger to himself. 


	4. Chapter 4

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Authors Note: In response to a few reviews, there is a reason these are bit short. If I don't force myself to cut them off at a certain place, I tend to ramble. Next thing you know, it will be 10 pages long and nothing significant has happened. This would be incredibly boring so I would like to avoid that. ^_^ But hey, for them being so short I do whip them out pretty fast, eh? Hehe. Adios space cowboys....

The seconds ticked into minutes, the minutes ticked into hours. Soon two whole days had past and Jet had not returned. He had been in contact with Spike once to tell him that things weren't going as easily as planned. Spike told him to just forget about it. He had learned of a new bounty head worth a cool Ten Million. But you know how the black dog is. Once he bites he never lets go. Now that he started, he wasn't going to stop till he got his man. Spike was forced to pawned a few things to feed his crew. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought Jet was doing this one purpose. But Spike knew better, right?

Being locked up on a ship with Faye Valentine was more then one man could handle. And an injured Faye Valentine was even worse. She had manipulated Ed into being her personal servant. Ed was so glad to see Faye better; she would do anything for her. Spike cringed every time Ed went running to Faye with a glass of water. 

Spike had kicked Faye off the living area couch. She had hogged it for a good week anyway. He sat in his usual position. Hands behind his head, legs propped up on the table. Ed was sitting on the floor not too far away, fiddling with her Tomato. The constant clicking was driving Spike insane.

"Ed, do you think you could go somewhere else for a while?"

He got no response. 

"Ed?" 

She kept typing; her goggled eyes fixed on the computer screen. Spike leaned far forward to get as close to Ed as he could. He cupped his hands around his mouth.

"**ED!!**" 

She didn't even flinch. Spike sighed. 

'This kid is something else.' he thought, settling back into his previous position. 

"Oh, Edward?" Came Faye's tinkling voice, from her bedroom where she had perched herself ever since Spike had reclaimed the couch.

"Do you think you could get me one of those Tangerines in the frigerator, Hm?" Faye's voice was drenched in sweetness. It made Spike want to vomit. But Edward jumped up.

"Of course Faye-Faye!" She ran into the kitchen, arms outstretched making loud engine sounds. Spike heard to fridge open. Then the Ed plane flew into the back towards Faye's room. 

"Something else." Spike muttered. He fumbled around in his pocket, pulling out a pack. He put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He took a long drag, letting to nicotine fill his system. 

'This is much better.'

He eyed the small TV on the table. Taking one large shoeless, and sock less toes, he pushed the on button. Immediately, that all too familiar cheesy western music invaded his head. Big Shot was on. 

'Well lets see what I could be doing.' He thought. He watched half interested, as Judy and Punch introduced all kinds of petty criminals and thieves with measly bounties. Gradually the prices increased and the crimes got more serious. Heists, hostage situations, and murders. A sudden voice from a far corner of the room made Spike jump.

"Wow, that sounds like fun. A nice murder to shake things up, eh?" 

Faye emerged from the shadows. She didn't really look like the same Faye he was used too. Her usual trashy yellow outfit had almost been ripped to shreds. Now she was wearing simple denim shorts, which she had rolled up the legs to make them extremely short, and a tight white sleeveless shirt with a large V-neck. Her hair had been evened, and was now in a even bob. 

"I borrowed your perch, I hope you don't mind." She said, motioning to the hidden shadows by the doorway. She sat down heavily next to Spike who just looked at her blankly. She settled down next to him, one leg on the table, her arms crossed over her chest. Spike flicked his Cigarette bud on the floor.

"Pig" Faye said, without taking her eyes away from the TV. 

"Blow me." He retaliated.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. 

"Do we have to watch this?" She asked. Spike rolled his eyes. 

"Don't come in here disrupting the peace." He groaned. 

"But I hate watching all the nice little Bounty Heads if I can't go out and catch them!"

"Then go back where you came from."

"There's no TV back there! All I've been doing it torturing Ein and sleeping."

"Well go torture Ein or sleep. I'm watching this."

Faye leaned forward to change the channel; Spike kicked her hand out of the way. She went after it again, he blocked her again. Obviously Faye was determined to change the channel. Spike lost count how many times he heard her squeal as he banged his heel on her hand. 

"For the last time Faye, I'm watching this!" He yelled, prepared to kick her again. But she didn't go after it again. 

"Finally. Now leave me in..." He stopped, as he turned to face her. Her hand was outstretched as if she was going for the knob again but she wasn't moving. Her face was expressionless, her eyes staring at the screen. Spike followed her gaze. 

Himdium Wuushu. Age 37. 6'4. 178lbs. Black Hair. Black eyes. Bounty, 30 Million Woolongs. Wanted for Seven counts of Rape. Five counts of torture. Twenty-five counts of murder. 

"Now watch out!' Said Punch. "He is considered armed and extremely dangerous."

"Ooooo, sounds exciting!" Chimed in Judy. 

Spike caught on. 

"That's him." He muttered. Faye wasn't listening. She was still staring at the TV even though the picture had long faded away. She quickly jumped to her feet and started to leave the room. Spike caught her by her wrist, not entirely sure what his intentions were. Her green eyes fell on him. 

"You have to talk." He told Faye. He felt her glare burning into his skin. He turned away, unable to look at her.

"Since when did you care?"

Those words burned deep into Spike's skin. This was a pain he was not used to. He jumped to his feet and stood face to face with her, still with Faye's wrist held tightly in his hand. He felt her trying to yank it away but he just tightened his grip. His brown eyed locked right onto her green eyes. 

"I've always cared." 

Faye's eye changed from a hard glare to wide with surprise in under a second. Spike couldn't blame her, what came out of his mouth took him by surprise. Faye had stopped struggling to free herself; her arm went limp at her side. She stared at Spike curiously as if she was searching for something on his face. Spike was struggling to keep a normal face. He felt blood rushing to hi face. He wanted her to stop looking at him like that. Like he was something she had lost a long time ago and just found. He kept his face cool and calm as she stared. 

"Say that again." She said.

Her voice was low and soft. She continued to stare into his eyes. Spike took a deep breath. This was not his style.

"I care about you, Faye Valentine." He tried to act cool and put on his trademark grin, but his body wasn't coroperating. He couldn't move. Faye stepped closer to him. They were almost touching. He wanted to back away, to push her away, to stop this. Faye's face was getting closer and closer to his. He started breathing heavy. He could feel her breath on is lips. Their lips met. Faye began to kiss Spike passionately. She put her arms around his neck pulling him closer. The kiss got deeper and deeper but Spike wasn't kissing back. He didn't know what do.

'This isn't right.' He thought. 'This isn't right. I need to stop this. I need to stop this.' but he couldn't stop it. Deep down inside he knew he wanted it. He liked having Faye with her arms around him and her body pressed up against him. But he knew this wasn't right. Julia. 

Spike put both his hand on Faye's shoulders and pushed her away. Her eyes were wide with shock. Spike looked away.

"I thought you cared about me." She said. 

"I do." Spike swallowed hard, still not looking at Faye. "But this just isn't right."

Faye caught on. She nodded. 

"Julia." She said softly. "I should have known." Her eyes started to fill with tears. She began to walk away. Spike knew he couldn't let her leave like this. 

"No wait, Faye." 

She stopped, and turned slowly. He didn't know what to say but he just decided to say what he felt. 

"What do you want from me?" He asked, his brown eyes pleading with her. 

She looked away briefly, tears flowing down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around her. 

"I just needed you to hold me." 

She rushed off. Nearly knocking down Ed who had been standing in the doorway. Spike sighed.

"And how long have you been standing there?" He asked. 

Ed didn't say anything. She just stared at him blankly, then turned to go after Faye. 

Spike sat back down on the yellow couch. He pulled the pack of cigarettes back out of his pocket, lighting one and sticking it in his mouth. He sucked on the end, staring at the TV but not watching it. He played the prior scene in his head over and over, not knowing what to make of it. But for the first time in days, he was sure of something. This was going to be a long few days. 


	5. Chapter 5

****

Authors Note: I have not forgotten about this story!! This past week has just been a very busy and tiring week. But I have nothing to do for a few days now so I'll try to get out chapter 6 before I go on Vacation for a week. Then after that, School starts again. Bleh. Anyway, here is the long awaited....Chapter 5! I'm not creative enough to think of Chapter Names. Hehe. Adios Space Cowboys... 

Jet returned the next day, 1 million Woolongs richer. Unfortunately he had banged up his ship so bad, over half of that was going towards repairs. Since his returned less then 10 hours ago, Jet's time was spent in the hanger tinkering away on the Hammerhead. The hanger door swept open almost violently and Spike stalked in. He was wearing his typical blue pants but was without a shirt. His body was glistening with sweat. He had been compulsively working out the last few days. Jet groaned at the site of him. Spike had been on his back ever since he got home. It was obvious he was pissed off about something.

"Jesus, Jet" Spike said surveying the damage. "If you were going to fuck your ship up this bad, maybe you should have gone after a bigger bounty head."

"Did you come in here just to nag me?" Jet asked, without even looking up. Spike ignored the question.

"You just run off for days, chasing your damn tail around in circles. What was the point?" Spike threw his hands in the air exasperated. 

Jet had a lot of trouble with that bounty. He should have known better then to trust Judy and Punch. According to them, Sam Singer was last seen on Jupiter and frequented a small pub named Mickey's. Unfourtunetly that was where he found a SamATHA Singer and her very jealous and very powerful boyfriend was not happy when he learned some big guy with a metal arm was asking around for her. He barely got off the planet. When he was finally able to track down the right information he learned that Sam singer was last seen on Venus and frequented a small pub called Mikey's. 

"Okay, Mother." Jet said, still not really paying attention. Spike noticed Jet less then willingness to argue. He had come here to purposely start a fight so he could blow off some steam. He had been so wound up the last few days.

Spike sighed, giving up. He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and threw it at Jet. It whizzed by his head and landed near what looked like a hunk of twisted metal. Spike had a feeling it had once been an important piece of the Jet's ship. 

"Not nice to throw things." Jet said.

"Pick it up."

"You pick up your own trash."

"It's not trash. Pick it up."

Jet threw a skeptical look at Spike, but he slowly picked up the crumpled wad. He straightened it out as best as he could and began to read silently. Jet raised his eyebrow and whistled loudly.

"30 mill, eh?" He said, smiling widely and looking up at Spike.

"Well what are you waiting on? I'm going to need more information then this. This looks like it came of the biog Shot Website...I'm not going there anymore. Go see Ed and have her get some more info...Spike...you okay?"

Jet had noticed Spike wasn't nearly as excited about this as he was. A 30 million bounty was a great opportunity. Every other hunter in this Galaxy would be after this guy. But Spike stood there, his arms crossed over his chest, watching his boot as it nudged an invisible something on the floor. 

"That's him." Spike said quietly. 

"Its who?"

Spike jerked his head up, shooting Jet a dirty look.

"Who do you think?" He said snootily.

Jet, ignoring Spike's attempt at another argument, thought a second. Then it hit him like a brick wall. His eyes widened and he stared at Spike, who just nodded. 

"Wow...." Jet said. "She told you?"

Spike shook his head.

"His face appeared on Big Shot. It was obvious to tell who it was..." Spike trailed off. That night's events played in his head like he was watching a movie. He got the strangest shiver when thinking about it. He didn't even want to figure out what exactly went on. He didn't want to know. He pushed the thought out of his brain, and focused on the job at hand. A 30 million Woolong Bounty. This was just a new bounty and nothing more. 

Jet started to hastily gather up all his tools and throw them into his toolbox.

"I'll have to borrow Faye's ship." He said, tossing a monkey wrench. "There should be enough food left for you guys-"

"You guys?" Spike interrupted. "You don't think you leaving me here again."

Jet stopped, and looked up at Spike.

"We can't leave Faye alone."

"She's not alone. She has Ed."

"She needs a responsible adult."

"Since when did I become responsible?"

"Listen." Jet said, rubbing his temple. "You know what I mean. Faye isn't well. She can't be here without one of us here."

Spike kicked a large hunk of metal. "She's fine." He knew this wasn't true. And he knew that Jet knew that Spike didn't even believe that. Faye was Faye but at the same time she wasn't. She would wake up late in the afternoon, eat all the food, make some rude comment about Spike's hair and laugh hysterically then hog the bathroom for hours. He would hear the water running, and see the steam coming through the cracks. But he knew half of the time spent in there wasn't just using up all the hot water. He could hear her crying. The low mournful sobs emanating from the bathroom door. He would try to ignore it but he always had the urge to run in there and wrap his arms around her and tell her it would be okay. Then she would emerge, with a smile that seemed almost sketched on her face. Then Faye would be Faye. Spike would so much rather her be openly broken then let this tear her up inside. 

"I'll go." Spike said. "It'll give you a break and me something to do." He added quickly. Spike looked at his feet, avoiding Jet's look. That damn look that basically said "I know what you're thinking." Jet always seemed to be in his head. 

"All right." Jet said softly, turning back to his Hammerhead. "You better go now." He pulled back out his wrench and went back to work. 

Spike turned and quickly walked from the hanger. Part of his statement was true. He needed something to do. And Jet deserved a break. But spike had never felt so anxious to go on a bounty hunt. He was taking extremely long strides and there was a bounce in his step. He entered the Living Area and saw what he was hoping to find. Ed was sitting on the floor, with her goggles, furiously typing on her Tomato.

"Ed." Spike said loudly, coming right up behind her. She didn't look up.

"Ed." He said again a louder. She kept typing her eyes fixed on the computer screen. 

It happened quickly. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, forcing her around to face him. He heard her goggles break in two as he yanked them harshly off her face. He raised his left hand into the air and ready to strike but he stopped himself right in time. Ed's yellow eyes stared up at him with a mixture of fear and confusion. He dropped his hand.

"Oh, God." He muttered. He felt sick. 

"I'm so sorry Ed. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it." She said nothing. She just looked at him, her eyes flooding him with the worst feelings he has ever felt. He realized her was still holding her tightly. He dropped her shoulder as if it was on fire. He wanted to do something comforting, he reached out to try to touch her face but she immediately backed away from him. He retracted his hand. He didn't know what to do. 

"I just....um." How could he ask her for anything now? 

Ed slowly reached behind her tomato, not taking her eyes off Spike. Her hand emerged with a piece of paper. It was exactly what he had come in there for. Everything anything could ever wonder about Himdium Wuushu. She pushed it towards him quickly then jumped to her feet and fled from the room. 

He couldn't stop her. He didn't want too. He didn't want to face her after what he just did to her. He hurt Ed. Shit, he almost slapped her across the face. He looked down at his hands. They were shaking. He grasped the paper tighter in his sweaty palms. He walked over to couch and sat heavily. He took a deep breath trying to get his heart rate down. Why did he go off on Ed like that? 

'What came over me?' He asked himself. He felt so out of control. He didn't want to face anyone anymore. He had to get out of here. 

Spike raced into his room and hastily threw a bag of supplies together. He threw on his yellow shirt, not even bothering to tuck it in or button it up all the way then grabbed his blue jacket. He raced from the room and swiped a few Woolongs from Jet emergency stash. He went in to the hanger and luckily for him Jet seemed to have retired to his Bonsai's for the day. He threw his bag into the Swordfish. He began to climb in, then something caught his eye. A strange shadow was lurking in the corner. Spike stared at it curiously. His eyes widened when it began to move and a human form emerged. Faye began walking towards him. Her eyes were fixed on him. Spike climbed back down from his ship to face her. 'What was she doing here?' She walked right up to him, standing close. She stared up at his face blankly, Spike was unable to tell what she was thinking. But it became all to clear in a matter of seconds. Spike's head snapped to the side as he felt the hot sting of her hand as she struck him hard across his cheek.

"Don't bother coming back, you sick fuck" She spat at him. Her voice was pure acid. "I hope you die out there." 

Spike didn't look up, he listened to her walking away and the door slam as she left the hanger. He could only imagine the anger that he would have saw in her eyes. But He couldn't be mad at anyone but himself. Ed had been there for Faye ever since she was attacked and he had no excuse to do to her what he did. He no excuse to even think of hitting her. 

'I wonder what Faye would have done if she knew I was going to get the man that hurt her?' he though for a second. But it didn't matter. He climbed into his Swordfish. He stared down at the controls. 

'I will return Faye, but I won't be alone.'

He started up his ship, and flew into vast space. 


	6. Chapter 6

****

Authors Note: Wwhhooaa, sorry bout the bunches of typos on the last chapter. I was really trying to get it out there. My apologies. I'll try to keep typos to a minimum in this chapter. Hehe. Enjoy. Adios Space Cowboys...

The Swordfish raced through the air at top speed. The Martian landscape was just a blur of colors as the small ship weaved in between buildings effortlessly but recklessly. A decision made half a second to late would mean death to Spike and whoever inhabited the large structures. It also would have meant death to his cargo. This thought made Spike push the ship harder, faster. It wouldn't be a total waste of his ship. 

Himdium wasn't an easy one to catch. He was well protected and a fierce fighter. But Spike had pure will on his side. 

Spike spent weeks on Jupiter tracking him down. He talked to everyone who had the slightest connection to him. From his parents to the man who made Himdium's pizza one day. Thousands of tiny clue's were gathered and when they were put together they lead Spike right to him. But Himdium wasn't going to go down so easily. Spike winced as he touched the bullet holes in his chest. This was one of the three Himdium lodged in Spike's flesh. He didn't have the chance to visit a hospital. He had to make due with some left over bandages he found in his ship. The blood from his chest and stomach was starting to soak through his yellow shirt. The pain was excruciating. But Spike was ignoring it. He had more important things to keep his mind on. 

Spike turned slightly and eyed the large bundle behind his seat. No one looking at it would have guessed it was a human. And especially not the all-powerful and feared Himdium Wushuu. Spike had 30 million Woolongs sitting right behind his seat. But he soared right past the police station without slowing. Himdium had another purpose to serve. 

Spike pushed his ship up, out of the Martian city and into Space. He was heading back to the Bebop. He hadn't spoken to anyone since he left. Not even Jet. Spike really could have used his help on this bounty. But he knew Jet knew what happened. Faye's word rang in his ears.

'Don't bother coming back. I hope you die out there.' God, why did those words hurt him so much? This wasn't the first time someone has hated him and wanted him dead. Why did he actually care this time? Maybe it was the fact that he hated himself so much for what he did. Taking his frustrations out on Ed like that. A child. And maybe it was because it was Faye. He had already admitted that he cared about her. And to hear such loathing in her voice, he couldn't even explain the feelings he felt. He almost didn't want to go back. Seeing her hatred for him might be more then he could bear. But he told himself he would return. And he had said he would return but not alone. And it looked like this was one promise he was going to keep. 

Spike lucked out. He saw the old fishing ship looming in the distance. It was in the same spot as it was when he left it a good four weeks ago. Spike couldn't help wonder if it was waiting for him. He doubted it though. 

"Piece of junk probably ran out of gas." He muttered. 

He was getting closer and closer. He could almost read the dull print on the side that he knew said "The Bebop". A cold sweat was starting to break out on his brow. He needed medical help badly. He needed to get on that ship badly. He took a deep breath and pulled out his communicator. He dialed the Bebop. His heart jumped every time the communicator beeped. Who would answer? Would they want to speak to him? The beeping stopped and so did Spikes heart. The picture was fuzzy. It slowly cleared. It was Jet. Spike realized he wasn't breathing and let out a long sigh. 

"I'm back." Spike said forcing a smirk. Jet didn't smile back. Spike wasn't surprise, staring at Jet's hard face. It only confirmed that the news had gotten around in his absence. 

"Don't leave the hanger." Jet said simply, before the screen went black. Spike looked up to see The Bebop's hanger door slowly sliding open. He flew in and landed softly inside. He began climbing out of his ship; his feet barely reached the ground when Jet rushed up behind him.

"You can't stay here." His low voice boomed. Spike faced him. Jet stood with his arms crossed over his chest. His stern eyes fixed on Spike. 

"Where do you want me to go?" Spike asked innocently.

"I don't know." Jet looked at his feet. "But you can't stay here." He looked back into Spike eyes. 

"Not after what happened." 

Spike ran his hands through his green hair. He wanted to rip it out in frustration. 

"I didn't mean it Jet." He said quietly. They stood in silence.

"I know." Jet said finally. He sighed deeply, kicking the floor with his boot. "But I'm sorry. Faye won't hear of it. And Ed.." He trailed off....

'Wow, I royally fucked things up this time.' Spike thought to himself. He was being banned from the one place he calls home. As much as he complained about The Bebop being a piece of junk, he loved it more then any place. The idea that it's other inhabitants were saying he could never see its hull again. It was too much for him. He felt his face getting hot. A lump was forming in this throat.

'Shake it off.' He told himself 'This isn't my style.'

Spike took a slow shaky breath. 

"I don't have anywhere else to go." His voice cracking. He fixed his mournful mismatched eyes on Jet who reluctantly looked into them. But he sighed, and looked away again.

"It's out of my hands." He said. "You can come get your things. But after that you have to leave." Jet began to walk away. Spike didn't want him to go yet. He had to change Jet's mind. 

"I got Himdium." Spike said suddenly. It didn't have the effect he hoped for. Jet kept walking. 

"You keep the bounty." He said, without turning around. 

"I mean, I **have **Himdium." 

Jet stopped. He turned slowly and eyed Spike curiously. Spike took that as a cue to continue. 

"He's in my ship." 

Jet walked quickly towards spike. 

"What are you talking about?" He asked, his eyes narrowed. 

"He's behind the Chair." Spike grabbed his stomach suddenly. He could feel blood draining out of his face as it drained out the holes in his chest. But Jet didn't seem to have noticed. He had climbed up into Spike's ship, and was peering behind the pilot's chair. 

"God lord." Jet said as he examined the crumpled man. "Is he alive?" 

"I made sure not to kill him." Spike responded. His head was starting to pound. 

"Well, you really did a job on him."

Spike chuckled. 

"He did a pretty good job on me too." He started to sway a bit. 

Jet turned and examined Spikes face. 

"You don't have a scratch on you." 

Spike wanted to laugh but didn't have the energy. Jet didn't know how wrong he was. Spike reached into his blue jacket, then slowly retracted his hand. Jet gasped. It was covered in blood. Spike felt his knee's buckling underneath him. The floor started to come at him quickly, but two powerful arms stopped him. 

"Shit, Spike." He heard Jet curse. "You're so damn stupid. So stupid..."

Jet helped Spike back to his feet, supporting all his weight. He led him out of the hanger and into the ships hull. Even though he felt half dead, Spike still couldn't help smiling looking at the ships rusty walls. They entered the living area and the all to familiar yellow couch. Jet laid Spike carefully on top of it. He took off Spikes blue jacket and then removed his now red shirt. 

"Shit..." Jet said, when he saw the bullet hole. "Why didn't you say something? It's a surprise you're alive."

Spike laughed a bit. 

"Didn't you know Jet," Spike winced as Jet began cleaning his wounds. "I'm full of surprises." 

"No you're just very lucky. At least this time. These aren't very deep. But you've lost a lot of blood. You may need to visit a hospital." 

"And spend my reward on hospital bills?" Spike choked out. "I'd rather die lying here." Jet sighed. He pushed the issue no further. 

"What happened?" Jet asked. Spike laid there, his eyes fixed on ceiling. 

"Himdium doesn't seem to like me very much." 

Jet laughed. 

"The feeling seems to be mutual." 

The room fell silent. Spike grinded his teeth as he felt Jet removing the bullets from his body. He watched the ceiling fan going round in circles. It felt almost as if things were back to normal. Even though things were as far from normal as they could get.

"I'm sorry." Spike said suddenly. He seemed to be talking to the ceiling then to anyone else. 

"I know." Jet said simply. 

Spike imediently felt as if a thirty-pound weight had been lifted off chest. He never knew two little words could make him feel so much better. 

"But I'm not the one you need to tell." Spike was silent for a moment.

"I know."

He closed his eyes. He was so tired. He couldn't even remember the last time he slept. His days had been so consumed with that one goal. It became an obsession. It consumed his days, its consumed his thoughts, and it eventually started to consume him. He felt it eating away at the pit of his stomach.

"When was the last time you've eaten?" Jet's voice broke into his thoughts. 

'When **was** the last time I ate?' 

"I have no idea." He answered finally. 

"I'll go fix you something to eat." Jet said, standing up. He began to walk away but he was stopped as Spike grabbed his wrist. 

"Are you going to make me leave?" Spike asked. His face looked like a lost puppy. This was a look very unknown to him. 

"You're too weak to go anywhere." 

"What about Faye?"

Jet grunted and turned his face away. 

"I have no idea."

Jet turned back to Spike. He gave him a reassuring smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it. You just rest. You're not going anywhere tonight."

Jet walked into the kitchen. Spike heard dishes clattering, and the fridgerator opening. Jet started humming a low bluesy tune. Spike smirked

'At least Jet is glad to have me back.' He thought. Thinking about what Faye would do when she saw him made him nervous. How would she react? Maybe she'd cooled down since he's been gone. He pushed that thought out of his head. If anything, his absence only made her anger fester. He didn't want to think about it now. His lack of sleep was catching up with him, now his job was done. A smell invaded his nose. It was an awful smell. Jet emerged from the kitchen, carrying two plates and a smirk. He placed one on the table in front of Spike and seated himself in the yellow chair opposite of him. Spike eyed the contents of the plate. He twisted up his face.

"Jet..." He said cautiously. "What IS this?"

"You don't want to know." Jet replied, hastily shoving food in his mouth and swallowing it quickly. Spike decided to take his lead. He shoved a large portion of food in his mouth but wasn't able to swallow it before he tasted it. It was the worst thing he'd ever eaten.

They ate in silence. But every once in a while Spike would see Jet look up at him from his plate, grin a bit, then continue eating. Spike finished his food rather quickly. Now those days of missed sleep were catching up on him. He felt himself drifting off. Jet noticed this. He gathered up the dishes, and left Spike in silence without a word. Spike laid back down on the couch. He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow. 

A loud scream pierced the silence. Spike tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. Something was on top of him. He tried to push the unknown object off his face but it pushed back with great strength. He was suffocating. His lungs were beating in his chest demanding the air that he couldn't give them. He gasped and clawed. Neither was doing any good. Shit, was he dying? He had been through too much to die like this. He'd been shot countless amount of times, stabbed, beaten. And to die like this? This wasn't his style. He was supposed to go in the blaze of glory. With a bang. Not with a whimper. But he felt his heart slowing. He was losing the energy to fight. He took one last gasp. Air? Was that air filling his lungs? He had never tasted anything sweeter. He sucked in as much as he good, choking on it a bit. His ears were pounding. He could hear muffled voices. He opened his eyes. There was Faye. Jet's powerful arms had firm grasp over her waist. There was a pillow in her hands. She was struggling violently, kicking and screaming. But her eyes were fixed on Spike. They were wide with madness.

"He didn't die out there!" He heard her scream. "So I guess he'll have to die here!"

'Oh my god.' Everything was registering in his brain.

'She tried to kill me.' 

More note: oohhhhhhh, cliff hanger. hehe. I know you guys hate me for that but if I kept going I'd have to write like 2 more pages and I don't have the time. It's 2am and I'm leaving tomorrow and I'm not even packed! I promise I'll get the next chap up ASAP!!!! I'll probably write it down while I'm relaxing on the beach. hehe. Love you guys! Keep those reviews coming! Bye bye ^_~


	7. Chapter 7

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Authors note: eek, this took really long! Okay, naughty me didn't even think of Bebop while I was gone (Actually I did. I found a neato anime store and bought 2 bebop DVD's! Yay!) So this took a while. I was gonna take a notebook on the plane to write in but I forgot. And they had TV's on the plane (oohhh!!) so I wouldn't have written anything anyway. hehe. But I'm glad most of you liked that last chapter. I just kinda...threw it out there wondering how people would respond. hehe. Some liked it, others didn't. But That's how life goes. Adios Space Cowboys...

Spike sat on the edge of the couch, his chest heaving up and down. His heart beating a mile a minute. It had been about ten minutes since Jet pulled a crazed Faye into the next room, locking her inside. He had rushed back to check on Spike who was unharmed unless you counted his state of mind. Jet then had rushed into the kitchen to get him some water. Spike just sat on the couch, lost in his own thoughts. He looked down, noticing a pack of Jet's cigarettes that were sitting on the table to next to Jet's gun. He couldn't remember the last time he had one of these. He picked one from the pack, lit it and raised it to his lips. Almost imediently, he felt so much better. He felt his whole body relax as he sucked deeply. 

"All the shit I gave up for her." He muttered. "Ungrateful bitch." 

He leaned back against the couch. From force of habit, he began to lift his legs to rest on the table, but winced at the pain he felt in his stomach. 

"Fuck!" He yelled loudly. His was breathing heavy. After all the shit he went through for her. All for her. This is how she shows her thanks. Smothering him with a pillow. 

Jet rushed back out of the kitchen, a glass of water in hand. He handed it to Spike, who took in but didn't drink out of it. He set it down on the table. This cigarettes was doing better then a glass of water ever could. 

Jet crouched down, peering at Spike who had his eyes fixed on the opposite wall. 

"I'm fine." He said, not looking at Jet. He took another long drag off the cigarette blowing the smoke carefully as if he hadn't a care in the world. Jet lifted himself up and plopped down next to Spike.

"I don't know why she did that." He said quietly, crossing his arms.

Spike didn't answer. Something wasn't right. He was mad as hell but he wasn't as mad as a person should be when someone tries to kill you. Normally Spike would have been thrown into unforgiving revenge mode but he didn't feel like hurting anyone right now. He was feeling strangely rational. Spike took one last puff on the cigarette before putting it out on the table.

"Where did you put her?" He asked, non-chalantly. 

"I locked her in her room." Jet replied, looking down at his lap. "Why?"

Spike stood up.

"I think we need to have a talk." 

Spike had left the room before what he had said fully registered in Jet's brain. He headed down the long hallway until he reached Faye's room. He stopped himself just as he was about to turn the handle. What the hell was he doing walking into a hurricane like this. 

'Maybe I'm not being to rational after all.'

He pushed open the door, and rushed inside. He stood still, waiting to be attacked or to have various items chucked at his head. But nothing happened. The room was silent. Spike slowly closed the door behind him. The room was dark but the soft light from the earth's moon shone through the window. The small square room was messy. Clothes and other personal items were strewn across the floor and the bed was unmade. But Faye was nowhere to be found.

"Faye." He called out softly. His voice sounding strained. He saw something shuffle out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Faye sitting in the corner. He could barely make out her figure in the soft moonlight. Her face hidden as her forehead was resting on her knees. 

"What do you want?" 

Spike felt his heart skip as she spoke. Her voice was quiet and muffled. The sadness that emanated from it sent chills down his spine. Spike flattened himself up against the wall and slide down until he was in the same position as Faye even though it hurt like hell. She slowly lifted her head and stared at him. 

"I just tried to kill you." She said. 

"I know."

"Then why are you here?"

"To find out why."

"You know why."

Spike tilted his head to the side.

"Because of Ed?"

Spike could feel Faye's glare even if he couldn't really see it. 

"Did you see the bruise on her shoulder?" She hissed. " Why did you do that to her?"

"Why did you shove a pillow over my face?"

Spike knew this wasn't a good time to get under Faye's skin. Who knows, she could pull out a gun and shoot him dead right then and there. But as his head cleared, he felt exceptionally brave. Even brave enough to venture into the dark cavern known as Faye's head, which she had lowered back onto her knees. 

"Listen." Spike said. "I know what I did to her was wrong. I feel awful about it, I really do. But that's not what this is about." 

Faye's head shot up. 

"What are you taking about?"

"What else is bothering you?"

"Did you see the bruise you gave her?" Faye was yelling now. "Do you know how frightened she is of you?"

Spike didn't falter. 

"That's not enough to make you want to kill me." 

Faye fell silent. Her silence was proof the she even doubted her reasons. But Faye wasn't going to be so easily broken. She sighed deeply resting her head on her knees again. 

"Please." Came her muffled voice. "Just...just go away." 

"I'm not going anywhere till you tell me." Spike voice was booming. "I don't owe you shit. But you owe me an explanation and I'm not leaving until I get it." 

Spike could hear her breathing. It was loud and unnatural. Each inhale was raspy followed by a shaky exhale. Spike didn't need too see her clearly to know that she was shaking. Probably uncontrollably. 

'I might be going too far.' He thought to himself. 'Maybe it's best that I stop.' 

Spike Started to pull himself to his feet. Faye's voice stopped him. 

"I don't know." she said. He voice was barely audible. "I don't know why I did that." 

Spike heard a loud thump as Faye's hand flew up to her head and started to yank on her hair compulsively. 

"My head....he fucked with my head." She groaned. 

She wrapped both arms over her head and began rocking back in forth. 

"He's going to come back. He's going to do it again. Then he's going to kill me. He's going to kill me." Spike just stared at her with wide eyes, this total change of pace taking him by complete surprise. Faye always seemed so fearless and tough. He had never seen her so afraid. And so afraid of only one man. He heard her loud choking sobs and wanted to comfort her. But he wasn't exactly sure how to do it. His gut told him to give he what she wanted that one night. He stood up, walking over and kneeling down in front of her. He touched the back of her head gently. Faye slowly raised her head and met his eyes. In the soft moonlight he could see her bloodshot eyes. There were no tears in them. Just fear and over whelming sadness. He ran a finger softly down her cheek. She opened her mouth as if to say something but nothing came out. Spike just nodded. 

"You don't have to say anything." He whispered. He leaned in, pressing his lips to her forehead. He withdrew, looking back into her face. Two tears were running down her cheeks. Her eyes were fixed on his face. Spike couldn't read them but the fear seemed to have disappeared. Spike wiped away her tears with his hands. 

"Don't cry anymore." He said softly. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again." 

Faye whimpered. Spike guided her head to his shoulder. He felt her warp her arms tightly around him and he did the same to her. He waited for the sound of her sobs but they never came. Instead her voice rang through, strong and clear. 

"Just hold me tonight."

Spike closed the door softly behind him. He leaned against it and sighed deeply. He had kneeled there with her in his arms for almost an hour until she fell into a peaceful sleep. It was not something he was used to but that one simple gesture of wrapping her in his arms seemed to do wonders. She was sleeping soundly instead of the usual talking in her sleep and tossing and turning he usually heard from her room when he couldn't sleep. Spike rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. The look of her face flooded into his mind. The fear in her face and the sadness in her eyes. And then the look that she gave him when he comforted her. He couldn't put his finger on that look. It was a mixture of peaceful contentment yet hopelessness. What did that look mean? He had no idea. Before he could figure it out another picture invaded his brain. It was the picture of the start of all these problems. Spike eyes snapped open. He felt his body tightening with rage. He quickly walked towards the Living Area. Jet who had been sitting on the couch, jumped up when he saw Spike enter. He started to say something but Spike cut him off.

"Did you move Himdium?" 

Jet sputtered.

"Huh? Y-yeah. When you were sleep."

"Where did you put him?"

Jet didn't respond. He just stood there stared at Spike who was getting impatient.

"Tell me where the fuck he is." 

"What are you going to do?"

"Where the hell is he?" Spike yelled loudly. Jet was taken back by Spike behavior.

"H-he's in the toilet. Handcuffed." 

Spike stalked off in the direction of the small bathroom. He heard Jet calling after him probably after realizing what Spike had swiped from the table. But Spike ignored him. Spike reached the toilet. He hit the open button rather harshly and the door slid open. There he was. Himdium Washuu. He wasn't a glorious and powerful sex criminal anymore. He was sitting on top of the toilet seat, both hands cuffed to the rails on the sides. He was unconscious, his head slumped the side. His face was unrecognizable as it was swollen, bruised and crusty with dried blood. His cuffed right arm was obviously broken. Spike could see the bone protruding through Himdium's skin. Spike hadn't used his gun against Himdium once but the man was barely alive. And It was the word barely that was haunting him. Spike lifted the gun and pointed it to Himdium's head. He had this mans life in his hands again. He could snuff it out in one simple motion of his finger. He pushed the tip of the gun hard against the unconscious mans head. His finger tensed around the trigger. He stood there for what seemed like hours. But he suddenly dropped his arm. 

"No." Spike muttered out loud. He tucked the gun into the back of his pants and stepping away. 

"I have a better use for you." 

Spike closed that door. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away. 

****

Another Note: Alright, sorry it took so long to get this short chapter out there. But anyway, I need you guys to help me. I need to change the title. The title I have doesn't mean anything. lol. I couldn't think of what to call this thing and I heard "Knew it all along" in a song and was like That'll do for now. hehe. so Help me and rename this story.! Thanks a bunch. ^_~


	8. Chapter 8

****

Authors Notes: Oh my goodness, I know this took forever. I'm ssoooo sorry. I've been insanely busy with school, and work, and band. I will **never** make you guys wait this long again. lol. Scouts Honor. I'm really sorry! Anyway, i still havn't decided on a title. You guys gave some really good sugeestions but I'm still not sure. I'll think about it some more. Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's little longer then the other ones. hehe. ^_^ Thanks for all the positive reviews. I love all you Space Cowboys! Adios ^_~ 

Spike paced up and down the long hallway. There was nothing he could do until that bastard woke up. It had been three hours since Spike felt he totally lost his mind. It was late at night. He wasn't thinking clearly. But he had an idea. Something that just may make everything alright again. He stopped his pacing suddenly. He listened to the soft shuffling coming from the small bathroom. Spike opened the door. Himdium's head slowly rolled down his neck. A small groan escaped his lips. He tried to move again and winced as the pain from his broken arm intensified. He tried to reach for his injured arm but realized his arms were bounded. His groggy half opened black eyes examined the handcuffs in confusion. He then slowly lifted his head until his eyes fell on Spike. 

"Who the hell are you?" 

Spike balled up his fist and laid all his fury on top of Himdium's already swollen cheek. Red drool rolled down Himdium's chin. He raised his face back to Spike's twisted one. His swollen lips contorted into what seemed like a smile. He chuckled. 

"Now I remember." 

Spike responded with another hard punch to the face. Himdium sputtered. He spit out a bloody wad that appeared to be a tooth. 

"Take it easy, man." He said through spits of blood. "I only got about fifteen left." 

He turned his head and exainmend the small room.

"This doesn't look like a jail cell." He stated.

"That's because you're not in a jail cell." Spike answered coldly. "You're gonna wish you were after tonight."

Himdium smiled wide, showing all the vacant holes that had once held teeth. 

"Is that so, Mister Big Bad bounty hunter?" 

Spike didn't answer. He took a small key from his pocket and began unlocking the handcuffs. Himdium watched in confusion as he was being freed from his prisoner state. But it wasn't for long. As soon as both hands were un-cuffed, Spike took a firm hold of the broken arm.

"On you feet." He stated pulling the arm. Himdium had no choice but to comply as he screamed in agony. He jumped to his wobbly legs. Spike then grabbed the mans uninjured arm, twisting it behind the man back, but still keeping a firm grip on the broken one. He pushed the man out of the small bathroom and headed down the hall towards the living Area. Himdium and Spike almost equaled each other in height and build but Spike obviously had the advantage seeing that his body was uninjured and intact. Spike twisted the man broken arm once in a while just to hear him scream. Hurting someone who made a living out of hurting people who other people cared about gave Spike great pleasure. They reached the empty living Area, and Spike threw Himdium violently on the ground. He screamed loudly as he landed on his arm. Spike whipped out his gun, pointing the nozzle at Himdium's head. Fear flickered in the mans eyes for the first time. But it soon disappeared, replaced by a cold defiance. Jet burst into the room. The screaming got the attention Spike had hoped for. 

"What the hell is going on!?" Jet's booming voice echoed off the metal walls. 

"I'm out of the shadows. I'm interacting." Spike said through gritted teeth, not taking his eyes of Himdium. Himdium stared back with those black holes of his. 

"Spike..." Came Jet's voice, it was soft this time. "Put the gun down." 

"No!" Spike yelled. Looking at Jet. "He deserves to die. It's justice."

"Its murder!" Jet swallowed hard, calming himself down. He spoke soft again. "We can turn him into the cops. Get that 30 million." 

"She deserves to watch him die." Spike muttered. 

"You think that's going to help?" Jet yelled. "It's not going to her any good. Just hurt her more. Put the gun down now." 

But Spike didn't move. He held the gun to Himdium's head, locking eyes with him. 

"Where's Faye?" Spike asked. Jet didn't answer. 

"Go get her." Spike said. 

"No." Said Jet softly. All loudness from his voice gone replaced by a quiet sadness. "I won't"

Spike looked at Jet again. He eyed the approaching figure behind Jet. "No need to now." 

Faye walked slowly up behind Jet. Jet whirled around, startled by her sudden appearance. He immediately took the protector role. He stood in front of her so his large frame blocked her view of the current scene. He put his hands on her shoulders, trying to push her away gently. 

"Go back to bed, Faye." He said sternly. She gave him a confused look. 

"What going on?" She asked with innocent curiosity. Ed wandered up behind her. 

"Ed heard yelling." She stated. 

Jet gripped both Ed's and Faye's shoulders, trying to lead them out of the room. Faye was having none of it.

"Jet, I'm not a child." She said, squirming out of his grasp. "What's going on?" 

"It's alright Jet." Came Spike's cold voice. "Let her see. Its what she wants." 

Faye narrowed her eyes in confusion. Jet sighed deeply, shaking his head. He stepped to the side slowly. Faye stiffened at the sight that was revealed. Spike took his eyes off Himdium for a second to look at Faye. He immediately regretted what he was doing. Even from a distance he could see her rigid body, her expressionless face, her soulless eyes. She stood there, staring back at him. He told her he wouldn't let anything hurt her anymore. Jet was right. This wasn't doing anything but hurting her more. Seeing the man that abused her body and mind was only making everything worse. Even if he was on the unlucky end of a gun that was held by someone who cared for her deeply. Who loved her. But he had good intentions. He had to make them clear. 

Himdium noticed the new addition to the room. He grinned widely when he caught site of Faye.

"Oh, I get it now." He said. 

Spike turned back to Himdium, his face meaner then ever.

"Apologize." He stated simply 

Himdium looked at Spike, then at Faye, then back to Spike. His face twisted and contorted until he began to laugh out loud. 

"Are you kidding?" He looked over at Faye as if she were his toy. "I only apologize for things I'm sorry for." He laughed again. 

"She was the best I've had in months." 

His laugh was cut off as Spike struck him hard across the face with the butt of the gun. 

"So." Spike hissed. "You get off torturing and raping girls, you sick fuck." 

"It's a living." Himdium replied, grinning. 

"You picked the wrong person to fuck with."

"As I recall, I did nothing to you."

"You don't fuck with my crew." Spike pushed the gun harder into Himdium's head. "Apologize." 

"Not a chance in hell." Himdium sneered. Spike swallowed hard as he tightened his finger around the trigger. He took aim. 

"I'll see you in hell." Himdium sneered. 

Spike stared at Himdium down the barrel of the gun. But something blocked his view. It was a hand. A cream white hand. Spike looked up. Faye was standing next to him, her hand on top of the gun. Her emerald eyes staring into his. Pleading with him. She shook her head slightly. Spike lowered his arm, staring at her curiously. She turned her head towards Jet.

"Take him." She said to him, her voice was loud and strong. "Take him to the police. We could do a lot more with that thirty mil then with a dead corpse." Spike saw her glance quickly at Himdium. There was no emotion in that glance. She looked at him as if he was some dirty business needed to be taken care of. Jet walked over quickly, grabbing Himdium roughly off the floor. Himdium never took his eyes off Spike. Those two black pits laughing at him as he was pulled away. Spike stood there, the gun still in his hand. He examined his hands, his blood rising as he found they were clean of Himdium's blood. He wanted so badly to kill that man. But the one person he was going to do that for had stopped him. He looked up to see Faye watching him. Her arms were folded and her body turned as if she was bout to leave. But her eyes were fully fixed on him. Her face blank and expressionless. She was torn in between leaving without a word and talking to him. She apparently had chosen to talk, as she turned back around. She stood face to face with him, not saying a word for a few seconds.

"That was dumb."   
Spike nodded.  
"It was rash." She included. Spike couldn't do anything but nod.   
"That guy was worth 30 mil! That's one of the biggest bounties that have ever come along! Your so  
selfish and stupid sometimes." She continued.   
"Did you even think? Do you know that shooting a wounded and unarmed man in the head is  
considered murder!" Spike interrupted her tirade.   
"It wouldn't been the first time." he said.   
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Faye said, cocking her head. Spike looked down at his  
hand. He flexed it, watching his fingers stretch out, then contract into a tight-balled fist.   
"There's the blood of a murderer running through these veins." Spike stated simply. He looked at  
Faye sharply. "You know nothing of my past."   
Faye was taken aback by this unexpected statement. But She regained herself quickly,  
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" She spat at him. Spike stared at her  
confounded..   
"I'm trying to tell you something about myself."   
"Why the hell do you think I care?"   
That simple sentence had thrown Spike back into the well of confusion that he felt he was  
finally making his was out of. Now he felt the coldness of those words rushing over the  
above his chin, pass his nose, until he couldn't breathe.   
He turned away sharply, not wanting to face her. He had confessed to her that he cared  
about her. But he had failed to ask if that feeling was mutual. He was just a pawn in a  
game. Just someone to hold up the pieces while she glued them back together. He wanted  
to rush from the room. He didn't want to turn and see her face. But his body decided to  
turn without the permission of the brain. He turned to face her. She had her arms crossed  
over her chest. She watched him with loathing in her eyes. This would have been normal  
months ago, but after all that happened it was shocking. Every ounce of the Faye he had gotten to know in the last few months was gone. All that was left was a unhappy woman, running away from her problems. No soul, no spirit. Just a empty body with an attitude. He opened his mouth to speak,  
but closed it. He didn't trust himself. Faye noticed his apprehension to speak.  
"You're weak, Spike." She stated. Still staring at him coldly. He closed his eyes as she  
spoke. He didn't want to hear these words. But he was not going to let her win. It was time for her to face everything. There was no more running for her, for either of them. 

"How can you call me weak." He muttered almost inaudible. He opened his eyes. "When the only reason you are saying these things is because you want to push me away." Again he caught Faye of guard as her eyes widened and her arms feel to her sides. He took advantage of the situation. He took a step toward her, and she stepped back.

"I'm trying to get close to you. I did get close to you. And now you are backing away." He backed her up against the wall. She tried to duck out to the right, but he put his arm on the wall to block her. She went for the left but again his arm flew up diffuse her efforts. 

"You've always been so predictable, Faye." He whispered to her. His leaned in close. His face was almost touching hers. He could feel her discomfort and he was feeding on it. 

"Are you enjoying this? Do you like feeling trapped like a rabbit? You have no where to go. I'll always be here. You might as well learn how to face me." He heard he breathing getting raspy. "Who's weak now, Faye?" 

"You're scaring me, Spike." She whimpered. 

"That's because you hurt me." He closed his eyes momentarily. He dropped his arms loudly, Faye gasped and stiffened. But he didn't touch her. He stared into her eyes with a spark in them that has never been there before.

"You hurt me real bad." 

He turned and made his way out of the room, leaving Faye standing alone against the wall trying to catch her breath. Ed stood near the doorway where she had been watching them. She watched him with wide eyes as he made his way towards her. He almost walked right past her but he stopped, and looked down at Ed. She didn't run. she didn't yell at him. She just stared up at him with those wide yellow eyes. He reached out his hand towards her and she didn't recoil like he expected. He ruffled her hair softly, and touched her check affectionately. He gave her a half smile, which she didn't return. He dropped his hand, and continued out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

  
  
**Authors Note: ***nervous laugher* Don't you all love how I promised to not make you wait long and then I just…disappear?? Heh heh ^_^;;. I know, I suck. Let the thrashing began. I had serious writers block. But I finally found an ending for this fic! And without any further adieu, here it is!  
  
Spike had been tossing and turning for what seemed like hours. Maybe it was because it had  
been hours. He could tell it was almost morning and he hadn't slept at all. He didn't want to get out of bed just yet though. He rather lie there, staring into the darkness then to stare into the curious faces of his ship mates. He had completely lost his mind last night, he realized that laying there. He felt so stupid. But he regained it quickly when he saw her. The look on her face haunted him. The looked when she saw the man that had violated her so. Her face was blank and unreadable. It was stiff and lifeless. It was the face of a woman in great pain. Pain Spike only meant to cure her off. But it backfired in his face. She hated him now. At least she wanted to hate him, which was almost worse. He hated the feeling of rejection that surged through him whenever he thought about it. He just wanted to sleep. But he would probably just dream about it anyway. Maybe that is why his body kept him awake. He had more control over his thoughts then he did his dreams. He laid on his back, his arms laying across his stomach. He stared at the ceiling. A small line of light appeared above. Spike watched it curiously as it grew larger and larger. The door was opening. Someone had walked into his room. He sat up slowly, his hand shielding his eyes from the bright light of the hallway. He couldn't tell who it was. The room light came on with a small click and the door closed. It was Ed. Spike dropped his hand, his head slightly titled to the side. Ed was the last person he expected to see right now. Her eyes were fixed on his as she walked to the side of his bed. 

"Jet is back." she said softly. "Jet has Spike's reward money for turning in that very bad man." This was obviously all she had to say as she had began to turn to walk away but Spike stopped her.  
"Wait, Ed." Spike said suddenly. She turned back to him, with a questioning expression.  
"Did Jet tell you to tell me?" Spike asked curiously.   
Ed shook her head slowly.   
"Ed just thought Spike would want to know."   
She walked towards the door, her hand was on the knob when Spike stopped her again.  
"Ed…" He said softly. He had a question for her that had been on his mind. He was dying for the  
answer. She turned to him, waiting to hear him speak.  
"Are you scared of me?"   
She was silent. She just stared at him with her cat eyes. Her hand dropped the door knob, as she  
turned fully towards Spike.  
"No." She said silently.   
Spike was surprised at her answer. This whole time he was lead to believe she was.   
"Why not?" He asked.   
"Because Ed understands."  
She turned away again, leaving the room, closing the door softly behind her. Spike just sat there,  
staring at the spot where she once stood. What did she mean she understood. Spike just shook  
his head.  
"I'm glad someone does." he muttered.   
Spike glanced at the small clock on his night stand. 4:46am. There was no point in him laying  
here. He wasn't the least bit tired. It was late, Jet would have gone to bed when he got home.  
Spike stood up slowly, and made his way out of his room and down the hall. He entered the kitchen opening the fridge, taking out a can of beer. It was a little early to start on the alcohol but Spike decided to make an exception for himself. He thought he deserved it. He closed the fridge, walking into the living whilst sipping his beer. But he stopped. He wasn't the only one up this early. The dark room held one occupant. Faye sat on the yellow couch, her face illuminated by the soft glow of the television. She stared blankly at the muted TV, her chin rested on one knee, her other leg stretch out in front of her. Spike had frozen there, staring at her. She looked so normal. Like she did before everything that had happened, happened. But he didn't see her the same anymore. And that is what kept him from barging in and grabbing the remote out of her hands like he would have a few months ago. That is what kept him standing there, out of sight, watching her. Examining every part of her. From her small red toenails to the sharp point of her nose. She wore a pair of Jet's old red cotton pajamas. They hung loosely over her small shoulders and draped down the rest of her body. The first button was almost at her chest. Those huge garments made her look so small.   
"Come over here." She spoke softly. Spike tensed. Was she talking to him? He couldn't tell, her  
eyes never moved from the television.  
"I don't see you." She almost whispered. "But I can hear you. Breathing."   
He watched her eyes as they searched around the room. They glazing over his hiding spot, never stopping on him. .   
"You watch me like this because what you said was true." She turned back to the television.  
"You'll always be there. So I should face you instead of running away. It's my specialty, running away. You know that."   
She paused. Pressing her lips together, he lowered her head slowly and rested her forehead on her knee.   
"I didn't run from him though." She said, her voice muffled. "I didn't want to let that cocky son of a bitch scare me away. I wanted to show him what Faye Valentine was made of. Just wanted to prove my worth."

Spike could hear her breathing getting hard. She picked her head up tilted up towards the ceiling.  
"So I stood, I fought, and I LOST!" She yelled that last word loudly. She buried her face in her hands, overcome by grief. Her sobs were short harsh cries. Spike couldn't stand the sound. But she grabbed a hold of herself quickly, chocking her sobs down back into her heart. Wiping her tears away, She spoke again in a strong clear voice.  
"Will you stop standing there staring at me like that." She said almost meanly. "I feel like a god damn animal in a Zoo."  
Spike took a long chug of his beer before emerging out of the darkness. Faye just looked at him  
briefly before putting her attention back on the television. He sat next to her, without a word. The  
TV had on infomercials. They sat in silence for what seemed like hours to Spike. He sat facing  
forward his ankle resting on his knee, eyes fixed on the television. He watched as if he was interested. But his mind wasn't on workout tapes. He just didn't want to look at her. But he did anyway. He didn't see what he was scared to see. He didn't see contempt or hatred or even fear. He met her eyes as if she had been staring at him the whole time.   
"Ed may be quick to forgive but I'm not." She shifted herself, turning her body so she was facing  
him. She picked up his hands and held them in her own.  
"But I couldn't let you kill him."   
She held eye contact as she raised his hands to her lips and planted a soft kiss on both.  
"I really wanted to watch him die as a helpless animal..."  
She turned his hand palm up, and traced the deep lines with her fingers.  
"And to see your bloody hands become the hands of a murder. Killing two birds with one stone, you know?"  
She looked up into his eyes.  
"But I couldn't." She shook her head fiercely. She almost looked a little like Ed. "And It wasn't the 30 million. It wasn't my pride. It was because I couldn't let you do that to yourself."  
Spike swallowed hard. He just watched her and her green eyes stared into his. She didn't look  
desperate or hurt. She just picked up his hands and laid it upon her cheek.  
"I'm not going to run from you, Spike."  
She placed her hands on the side of his face, leaning into him. She planted a soft kiss on his  
forehead.  
"I know you care about me. And that's enough. I believe you can only truly love one woman, and even if that will never be me…."  
She smiled a bit while seemingly examining his face. She leaned in again, her lips close to his.  
"But I just want to let you know that you've done more for me in the last few days then I can  
remember anyone ever doing."  
She kissed his lips.  
"And for this and other reasons, I am so in love with you."   
She gave Spike no time for these words to sink in. Her lips were on his again before he was even sure he heard her right. But this kiss was deeper and harder then any they have ever shared before. He felt her tongue in his mouth, her hands caressing the side of his face, her arms around his neck pulling him towards her. His first instinct was to push her away. He saw a woman's face. But he didn't go with his first instinct. Faye was the woman that had been consuming his thoughts. He had put his life on the line for her. He had no regrets about it either. Wasn't this the outcome he had hoped for? She was here with him now. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, kissing her harder then she was him. And they sat there, in the dark with each other embraced in their arms. They soon broke from their passionate kiss. Faye smiled at Spike. She traced his jaw line with her fingers.  
"What other reasons?" Spike asked quietly. Faye narrowed her eyes, he couldn't help but  
grin at her confusion.

"What were the other reasons?"  
Spike felt her hand as it collided with the side of his head. He was shocked at first till he saw the  
wide grin on her face. He pursed his lips together in a pout.  
"Ow, that hurt." He whined. Faye just giggled, leaning in close.  
"You're such a lunkhead..."  
  
**Ending Notes: **Well, that's it! I hope you all enjoyed this fic and the ending lived up to the rest of  
the story. Sorry it took so long. I was torn between a happy ending or an sad ending. But I'm American so I went with the happy ^_^ Maybe I'll go back one day and make a sad ending. It'll be  
like the special features on a DVD! lol. I'm going now, adios Space cowpeoples. 


End file.
